Perfectly Piratical
by Tang Si Ming-Yue
Summary: Captain Sokka... Captain Ozai... the two most feared pirates on the seven seas. Captain Avatar Aang's job? To bring them down. But it just so happens that pirates are not always what they seem...
1. The Boomerang

A/N: My new story! I just think that pirates are pretty cool, and if you type in 'pirates' in the search engine and look under avatar, only one story comes up ('Bad People' by Lyralocke)! I had to fix that. So here is my new, fantabulous story, "Perfectly Piratical". LIGHTS… CAMERA… DISCLAIMER!

Sokka: No! I am NOT gonna do the disclaimer!

Me: But you HAVE to!

Sokka: And just WHY is that?

Me: Because kasplosion says we're the funniness of Avatar! Despite the fact that I don't work there or own it or anything… AND you're my buddy!

Sokka: But-

Me: DO IT!

Sokka: -sigh- Fine… Tangy does not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or anything on it.

Me: See, THAT'S my buddy! –gives Sokka noogie-

Sokka: AAH! The noogie-ness!

**Perfectly Piratical**

The waves crashed against the side of the ship. The salt in the air was easy to taste. The shades of blue and green in the sea were bright and vibrant. The sun shone down on the world for all.

Captain Avatar Aang was at the helm, his winged lemur, Momo, on his shoulder, steering his ship, _Appa_, to wherever the wind happened to take them. But hopefully it would take them straight to the pirates of the seven seas.

Captain Aang was on a mission. As the avatar, he was to protect the world from all its dangers, and the pirates would at least make the top five list. There were many pirates of the ocean, and Aang was to take them all down. But his main priority was putting the crew of the_ Boomerang_ and the_ Black Sun _into custody.

Captain Ozai and his crew on the _Black Sun_ were the fiercest pirates of the deep blue. Legend had it that Agni himself could not defeat him. The sails were said to be a blood red color, the wood painted black. The colors contrasted like that of an eclipse. Though, no one knew if these rumors were true, seeing as anyone who saw the ship perished.

The crew on the _Boomerang_ was nearly as bad. Any ship that came in its path was destroyed, taking no prisoners. No one quite knew the reason to these actions. Captain Sokka, the leader of the ship, was said to be vicious and bloodthirsty, his only competition being Ozai, or Lord Ozai as some liked to call him.

Captain Aang, on the other hand, was known everywhere for his kindness and caring nature. He was treated with the utmost respect wherever he went and people considered him part of the high society. And though Aang was not yet a fully realized avatar and only knew airbending, he was expected by all to defeat the foes of the world. And he tried as hard as he could to fulfill his duty.

Aang looked about the ship at his crew of Earth Kingdom-ers. "C'mon guys," he bellowed for all to hear. "Don't get lazy on me!" The men immediately picked up their pace and the ship began moving faster.

"Oi!" yelled the lookout. "A ship to the east! Coming towards us!"

The avatar ran to the side of the ship. He pulled his telescope out of his belt and looked where the man was pointing. A ship with white sails was sailing towards them, sprouting a jet black flag. The flag bore a skull on fire. This was Pirate Captain Zhao and his ship, the _Agni Kai._

Captain Zhao was a well-known pirate, said to be good friends with Lord Ozai. Aang knew this would be difficult, seeing as Ozai lent crewmembers to Zhao, but it had to be done for the good of the world.

"Prepare to board!" Aang yelled. "Captain Zhao will rue the day he became a thief!"

The crew gathered guns and swords. Those that could bend filled pouches with water or grabbed a satchel full of rocks. Metal grappling hooks were held ready so they could board ship.

The _Agni Kai_ was very close, but not bothering to fire the cannons. Aang pondered on this fact for a moment before quickly realizing that _Zhao's crew_ was boarding _his ship!_

Yes, a bunch of burly men were climbing aboard his ship. The crew was shocked to say the least, but quickly reacted with weapons. Many cries were heard, blood was already covering the floor of the ship, and some men had already fallen. "Don't give up!" yelled Aang, giving encouragement to his crew.

But encouragement, unfortunately, wasn't good enough. The crew of _Appa_ was fast losing, over half the men already dead. Aang could not very well hold up against all these men with just his own and a few others. Aang stabbed the man he had engaged in fight just minutes earlier with in the chest and moved on to another man with a long mustache.

Before he could fight with the mustached man, though, he heard someone say behind him, "It seems that I've found you, Avatar."

Aang turned around, sword in hand, to find a monkey-faced man with long sideburns, a fire dagger in each fist. "I'm Captain Zhao, Avatar, and I believe you're dead meat."

"I don't think so," said Aang. He plunged his sword forward, which Zhao quickly deflected with his firebending. While Aang was getting over the small burn in his wrist, Zhao brought his leg around and pulled his leg towards him, bringing Aang crashing to the ground. A sharp pain ran through his middle.

"I'll surely get a good price for you, Avatar," said Zhao, menacingly, bringing his fist down.

Aang saw this, and time moved slowly for a moment. Zhao's fist full of flame, headed directly for his chest, Aang lying on the ground waiting for impact, not even able to roll out of the way due to the fact the edge of the boat was to his left, the pirate to his right. _This has got to be the shortest fight of my life,_ he thought. _And to think, I will lose it to a pirate._

Aang closed his eyes, ready for the end to come (very slowly seeing as his life had not come out of slow motion yet). A few moments passed, and still there was no burning sensation where his heart should be.

Maybe this is what it felt like to die. If it was done immediately, you wouldn't feel any pain. But still, to Aang it didn't seem right. He chanced peeking open his eyes. Still, things were going on very slowly. But what he saw in slow motion was nothing like he had expected.

Another ship, a _pirate_ ship no less, was floating on the other side of _Appa_. And a pirate, _a pirate,_ swung from the riggings of said pirate ship and deliberately rammed into Zhao, _Captain Zhao_. Not only was a _pirate_ helping him, but this pirate was a _girl!_ A girl probably around the same age as himself, which was only 17 years old.

The girl swooped to the left, still clinging to the ropes, and let go, turning to face the evil pirate. "Who in blazes -" Aang heard Zhao exclaim. Said man turned to face the mysterious female terror, and stopped his ranting.

"So," he said, realizing who he was being attacked by. "Miss Katara, we meet again. I'm afraid we haven't seen each other in quite some time. How have you been?"

"Better since our ship hasn't seen the likes of your ugly face," said the girl, Katara supposedly.

"Now, now," said Zhao, attempting charm but failing miserably. "I don't appreciate that kind of talk, Miss Katara. It's not appropriate for a lady such as yourself."

"Enough of this false kindness, Zhao," said Katara. "Would you like to face defeat by my sword, or my bending?"

_So she's a bender,_ Aang couldn't help but think.

"Whichever you prefer, Miss Katara," said Zhao, bowing. He stood upright, and he quickly lit fire to his hand and headed straight for Katara.

Aang was horrified. Trying to move, perhaps to save this woman that had saved him in turn, he found he could not. The middle of him was still in pain, and Aang let out a strangled cry.

The two pirates, though, did not hear. Katara ducked out of Zhao's way, and the captain nearly fell overboard. He righted himself just in time, and turned to find Katara with her sword drawn.

Swords clashed, metal clanged, and Aang could do nothing. This is what he was supposed to do as Avatar, save people, and yet, here he was, lying on the ground, blinded by pain and unable to see the details of the fight occurring.

What he finally saw once more, was a silver sword plunging into a certain Captain Zhao, lying helpless on the deck. The figure did not move after.

Aang, astonished, could not get over the fact that a female pirate had just killed the infamous Captain Zhao. Perhaps, if he could play his cards right, she would join him on his quest to hunt down Captains Ozai and Sokka.

Said girl strode over to him. She knelt down to him, and Aang finally got a good look at her. Her skin was tanned a dark brown, and her dark hair was tied in a long braid. Two strands of hair were tied to the back of her head forming two loops, and Aang noticed that her big, blue eyes were the most gorgeous he had ever seen.

"Are you alright?" Katara asked him, her voice full of concern. Odd for a pirate.

"Perfect," said Aang. Sarcastically, of course.

Katara smirked. "Humors a good sign. You'll be good as new in no time." She stood up and looked around. "Right now, though, I have to finish taking your ship captive. I'll be back in a flash!"

Aang's eyes became large and round. Taking his ship captive? She saves his life and then steals his ship?! What kind of cruel, sick irony was this?

Lying there on the ground, he could only hear what was going on. Swords, fire, water, it was all there. A fearsome battle it seemed to be. The thuds on the deck made it clear enough.

The beautiful pirate came back over to him, calm as can be.

"I can't believe it!" Aang exclaimed. "You kill all my men but spare me? This is the cruelest –"

"Oh, relax, Captain Aang," said Katara. "We killed none of your men. Captain Zhao's men? They we killed. _Your_ men, on the other hand, are tied to the mast until we gather up all the cargo from this ship to our ship."

"But…"

"Oh, please shut up for just a moment. If I'm going to heal this, I need to concentrate."

Katara bended some fresh water from a barrel on the deck and into her hands. It stayed there for a few seconds before it glowed. Aang gasped inwardly. She applied the water to his wound. Expecting pain, he cringed, but no agony came. It felt oddly soothing, and before he knew it, she took her hand off his middle and there was nothing but a scar left.

"How did you –"

Katara interrupted him. "I really don't think this is the time, Captain. Now, if you'll please come with me, we can be on our way." She walked towards the side of the ship, where her own was waiting.

Aang was, in simple terms, shocked. "You expect me to go with you?"

Katara turned around. She looked thoughtful for a minute before answering. "Well, yes, quite frankly. Your crew will be released and they can be on their way while you accompany us."

"And if I refuse?"

She looked thoughtful once more. "I suppose we won't do anything, really. We were just requesting your assistance is all. Not a big deal. But if you'd rather go on sailing the seas with your crew on a fruitless pirate hunt, I guess you can stay here."

She turned around and started to head to her ship once more. Aang thought about it for a minute. If he were to go with them, these pirates could help lead him to Sokka and Ozai! I mean, who knew pirates better than pirates themselves?

"Wait," he said suddenly.

Katara stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"I'll… assist you."

She grinned. "Excellent! Step this way please." She nodded towards the ship.

Aang strut towards her. Katara looked expectantly at him. Aang, confused, asked, "What?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "I guess you civilized people don't know how to actually live," she said, smiling. Aang, though resenting the comment, said nothing. "Just grab the rope here, okay?"

Aang looked at the rope Katara had indicated. Odd as it was, he decided to grab it. Nothing happened.

"Well, shouldn't something –"

But Aang never got to finish the sentence, because at that moment, the rope decided to fly into the air. Aang, gripping for his life, let out a scream of surprise. He found himself swinging onto the pirate ship, and with a thud, he landed rather painfully on his bum.

"Ooh…" he moaned. Looking up, he saw Katara swing very gracefully and rather beautifully, from _Appa_ and land perfectly and daintily beside him.

"Oh, you'll get used to it with time," she said to Aang.

"I should hope so," mumbled Aang, still in a bit of pain.

Katara giggled. Aang found it a rather lovely giggle, rather than those of girls in high power who squeaked more than laughed. He grinned, rather proud of himself that he got such a noise out of such a gorgeous person.

Aang suddenly remembered that he was on a pirate ship. A pirate ship! He immediately went back to business. "If you don't mind my asking, where's your captain?"

Katara's eyes rolled and she sighed. "My brother, you mean?" she asked.

"Your brother is the captain?" Aang asked, surprised. "And your brother allows you to pirate?"

Katara scowled in a way Aang thought impossible for her to do. "If you're suggesting that I shouldn't be allowed to sail the seas because of my gender, than you are not the person I thought you were, Captain."

Her voice was like ice, and the stung Aang. "No, that's not what I meant at all," said Aang, quickly. "It's just, I would think your brother, of all people, would find it hard to put his sister into such danger."

Katara sighed. "Oh. Well, when you put it that way, he doesn't exactly like the fact that I pirate with the rest of the crew… but he knows he can't stop me – and he knows this out of experience – so he doesn't really bother anymore. He still tries to protect me from the rest of the crew, though. After all, I'm the only woman on board, so it would only seem fit he'd be so worried."

"Ah," said Aang, in only somewhat understanding. "And where is he, again?"

"Sleeping," sighed Katara.

"Sleeping?" asked Aang. "But it's past noon!"

"Oh, don't we know it!" said Katara. "But he's made it a rule that we're not allowed to wake him up, so there's nothing we can do about it."

"But you're a relation to him," said Aang, simply. "Isn't there some way…"

Katara wasn't looking at him anymore. She was looking past him. Aang turned around to see a man only a year or two older than Katara and himself. His hair was in a ponytail, and he looked amazingly like Katara. He was storming over towards them and Katara didn't look too happy about it.

"Katara!" he exclaimed. "I cannot believe you led a raid without me! You have no right whatsoever!"

"I'm second in command," Katara said. "That means that when you're not there to lead, I get to do it. And because we're not allowed to wake up _his majesty_, that meant I got to lead!"

"Well…" the man, who Aang guessed was Katara's brother and captain, "Still! I didn't get to do anything! AND you killed Zhao! _I_ wanted to do that!" He looked at the ground, upset.

This was supposed to be the captain?

Katara's brother looked up and finally noticed Aang.

"Who's this?" he asked, outraged. Aang stepped back a little. "You brought a _boy_ onto the ship?! I thought I made it clear, Katara! _No boys!!"_

Aang blushed a little at the thought of he and Katara being a couple. Not that he couldn't see it happening…

Katara ignored the comment, and said, "Sokka, this is Captain Aang of the _Appa_, and the Avatar."

_Sokka?!_

"Aang, this is Captain Sokka."

_CAPTAIN SOKKA?!_

"Well, hi there, Aang!" said Sokka, much more gleeful now. "Welcome to the _Boomerang_!"

A/N: Dun dun DUNN!! Aang just willingly stepped onto his supposed enemy's ship! WHAT WILL HE DO?! Just read and find out!

**REVIEW OR… hold on… REVIEW OR… OR ELSE I'LL END SUMMER EARLY!! MWAHAHAHAHA!**

**Wait, I wouldn't like that either…**

Tangy :D


	2. Friendly Pirates

A/N: I suddenly remembered I had posted the first chapter of this story, and I thought, "Huh… I feel like typing up the next o

A/N: I suddenly remembered I had posted the first chapter of this story, and I thought, "Huh… I feel like typing up the next one!" So that's what I did! Because I really like this story! :D Yay me!

Sokka: C'mon, hurry it up already, I don't feel like waiting around for you to type up those super long Author Notes that you always do! I wanna be a PIRATE!

Me: T.T I don't make them THAT long –

Sokka: Pfft, whatever you say!

Me: Fine! Then YOU can say the disclaimer!

Sokka: As long as it gets the job done faster, then I WILL! Tangy doesn't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, now let's MOVE IT!

Me: T.T

Perfectly Piratical

Chapter 2!

Aang stumbled back in shock. T-This couldn't be right! He was dreaming. That's what this was, of _course_ that's what it was! Beautiful girl, evil, buffoon, pirate captains, himself going onto a rival ship _willingly?_ What else could this be but some sickening nightmare?

Aang let out a slow laugh. "Right. A-And I'm supposed to believe that _you_ are the dreaded Captain Sokka?"

Katara laughed. "I didn't believe it either."

"Well!" Sokka scoffed. "I resent that! I am a _great_ captain! And I'm supposed to believe _you're_ the almighty avatar?"

"I could show you if you want," Aang growled. He got into a fighting stance as Sokka got into a funky pose, a supposed threatening position.

Aang was ready to defend his people. "Prepare to-"

He felt his feet being slid from under him. He let out a shout of surprise, thudding to the ground.

"I didn't bring you here to fight," said Katara. "You're supposed to be helping us, not fighting with our captain!"

Meanwhile, Sokka was chuckling hysterically. "She didn't even have to use bending to trip you! Some avatar _you_ are!"

Aang glared at him. "And just why would I help you? You may have spared my ship, but you didn't exactly do that with any others!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "If you'll just let us explain-"

"Yeah, just give us a chance, airhead!" Sokka shouted.

Aang stood up, brushing himself off in the process. "Fine. I'll give you time to explain, but I'm warning you…"

"Whatever you say," Katara giggled. Apparently, she was finding this whole ordeal amusing!

"Alright," started Sokka. "Let me just start out by saying that we are rather friendly. Never killed an innocent person in our lives!"

"_Friendly?!" _Aang, appalled, yelled. "Never killed innocent?! What are you going on about?!"

"The truth," said Katara simply. "It's true. You see, our father was once the captain of this pirate ship, back then called _The Warrior_. But our father hated being a pirate. He only was one to keep his honor in the eyes of _his_ father. And when he was on his deathbed after a battle, he told Sokka to keep running the ship however he wanted to."

"Yup," said Sokka. "That's the whole, sad story…"

"But," said Aang, noticing the flaw in their story, "your father said you could run the ship however you wanted to. If you don't like being pirates why not stop?"

"This is the only life we know of!" Katara said defensively. "Our father and our grandfather and our great-grandfather were all pirates. We've lived on a pirate ship all of our lives. We wouldn't exactly know what to do if we left!"

Sokka sighed. "We know it's wrong. We were at least taught that. But since we don't _like_ being pirates… we pretend!"

Aang's eyes widened. "You…_ pretend_ to be pirates?"

"Yessiree!" exclaimed Sokka. "We're kind of like… well, have you ever heard of the Dread Pirates Roberts?"

"Er… no."

"Well, that's good, because I have no idea who he is either!"

"What Sokka means is," Katara interrupted, "is that we don't go looking for fights or anything. We fly a pirate flag. If someone decides to come and fight us, we fight back. We steal their things, but only if we're running low on supplies. We only kill if they're other pirates."

"See?" questioned Sokka. "We're perfectly piratical. We're just… really nice about it! We pretend!"

Katara and Sokka looked at Aang with questioning eyes. Aang had heard many stories of how pirates were evil, no matter what. And yet here were two of the supposedly most evil pirates known, saying they were good. And oddly, Aang believed them. He saw in their eyes as they gazed at him that they were honest. The way they looked at him… they were yearning to be accepted as who they really were.

"I…" Aang said slowly. "…believe you."

Aang suddenly felt arms being wrapped around him. It was Katara's arms, squeezing him tightly. The avatar felt a warm sensation spread through him, and he smiled, putting his arms around her as well, returning the hug.

"Thank you," he heard Katara whisper.

The waterbender pulled away from the embrace, and Sokka glared at she and Aang in turn. "I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you," he growled at Aang.

Katara slapped her brother and captain in the shoulder. "Stop it!"

Sokka rubbed the place of pain. "Okay, jeez! Stupid girls…"

Katara rolled her eyes but did nothing else as Sokka went on.

"Okay, so the reason I'm guessing Katara brought you here is because… well we only kill pirates, right? So in order to save the world and stuff, we decided to get rid of the worst of them all: Ozai."

Katara nodded. "We had heard you were on a pirate hunt, so when I found that it was your ship being attacked by Zhao-"

"Who was _not_ killed by me," Sokka muttered.

"I decided that we could use your help. I mean, you're already supposed to be going after him, so why not with a gang of friendly rebels?"

Aang laughed a bit. "Okay, I'll help you."

"Great!" shouted Sokka. "We have the avatar on our side, now. Ozai better watch out!" He punched the air in his enthusiasm, before quickly bringing it down, grabbing his shoulder. "Ow…" he muttered. "I hit the air too hard…"

Katara and Aang both laughed, not paying attention to Sokka's complaints of, "Hey! You do _not_ laugh at your captain!" in the background.

"C'mon, Aang," said Katara after stopping her laughter. "Why don't I show you around the ship and introduce you to the crew?"

Aang was about to reply with a yes, but Sokka got to answering first, exclaiming, "Oh no you don't!"

Sokka turned to his sister. "I don't want you showing some boy around the ship by yourself! You don't know what could-"

"Could he really be worse than Jet?" Katara interrupted.

Sokka thought for a moment. "Go ahead," he finally answered, giving in. "I'll be in my cabin looking over some maps. But I'm warning you, Avatar…" He turned to look Aang in the eye. He poked him in the chest. "No funny business, got that?"

"Understood, Captain," Katara sighed, answering for the airbender. Sokka glared at each of them in turn before swiftly turning and walking into the captain's quarters.

"Alright, so let's start!" Katara said. "Over there, where Sokka just went into, is where the captain sleeps and studies. The top, here is the deck, of course… c'mon, I'll introduce you to some of the crew here."

The two benders walked over to a boy with long hair, wearing a green headband round his head. He seemed to be checking the ropes and riggings. "Haru!" Katara called, and the boy turned around to see her.

"Hey, Katara," he said. "Err…" Haru looked oddly at Aang. "Who's your friend here?"

"Haru," said Katara, "this is Captain Avatar Aang. He'll be joining us. Aang, this is Haru. He's and earthbender, and he's been with us on this ship ever since Sokka took over."

"Nice to meet you," said Aang, nodding his head.

"Mm," muttered Haru, looking at Aang suspiciously. He grabbed Katara's arm and pulled her towards him.

"Katara," he whispered. "Are you sure that the avatar, of all people, should be helping us?"

"I trust him," Katara told Haru.

"Well…" said Haru. "I'm just… worried about you, that's all."

Tearing her arm from his grip, Katara said, "Thank you, but I believe I can make decisions myself."

Katara walked off, and Aang decided he should follow, despite the sad look Haru was giving Katara's back.

"What was that about?" asked Aang.

"Don't worry yourself over it," Katara said. "Now up there," Katara pointed up towards the crow's nest where a boy with funny goggle things looked through a telescope, "is where Teo is most of the time. He's the lookout. You can meet him later at dinner, when he finally comes down."

Katara sighed. "I guess everyone else is down below playing cards, as usual." She rolled her eyes. "They're a bit rowdy," she told Aang. "If you want, you can meet Iroh. He's probably the only cook around that makes good food."

"Alright," Aang answered simply. Walking across the deck, he asked the first question the sprang to mind.

"So… do you like being a pirate?"

Katara answered, "Sokka and I told you, didn't we?" Aang stuttered, realizing that they had, in fact, already answered this question.

Katara giggled at his stuttering. "It's alright. I don't like being a pirate or anything, but I do like fighting. It's so exhilarating! And the fact that getting rid of these pirates helps people… well, I normally don't like to kill, but I suppose that there's an exception to everything."

Aang nodded in acknowledgment. He knew the feeling. He loved the idea of bending. It was so… he didn't know if there was a word for it. Whether with sword or with elements, he loved the action. But… was it ever okay to kill?

They walked below the deck and Katara led him through the first door on the right.

"This is the kitchens," Katara said. "If you ever want a midnight snack, Iroh usually bends the rules a bit and lets you."

They walked to the back of the tiny kitchen, finding an old, somewhat plump man by the stove. He turned at the sound of footsteps.

"Ah, Katara," he said, smiling at her. "Come for an afternoon snack?"

"No thank you, Iroh," Katara smiled back. "I just wanted to introduce you to Aang, here. He's the avatar and he'll be joining us on our voyage."

"Avatar Aang," said Iroh, turning to the young airbender. "It is an honor." Iroh bowed his head, and Katara stifled her laugh.

"That's really not necessary," said Aang, nervously. "And you can just call me 'Aang'."

"Very well," said Iroh, returning to his regular pose. "If you will excuse me, I must finish making supper for tonight."

"Thank you, Iroh," said Katara, and she led Aang out of the kitchens.

"You let an old man on the ship?" Aang asked. "How does he defend himself?"

"Trust me," said Katara, laughing. "He doesn't need protecting."

Aang just nodded and followed her down the hall to the last door on the left.

"This is where the crew sleeps. It's also where they play never-ending rounds of poker." Katara rolled her eyes as she opened the door.

The waterbender strolled inside, not bothered by the hideous odor filling the room. Aang tried not to gag as he trailed behind her.

"What are you doing?" Katara questioned the men. "We just finished with a raid and you're already gambling!?"

"Yes," said a boy with dark hair wearing green garments. He was rather pale, despite the fact that he was probably outside most of the time.

Katara rolled her eyes, which she seemed to do a lot, and put her hand on her hip as she said, "So who's winning?"

Aang stepped back a little in surprise. Wasn't she saying just a minute ago how they shouldn't be playing this game in the first place?

"We're about to find out," said the pale boy. "Watch and learn, Katara. Royal flush!"

The boy laid down his cards to reveal that, it was in fact, a royal flush. The four others looked on in shock, mouths gaping.

"Toph, how come you always get the good cards?" a rather short boy exclaimed as the boy, named Toph apparently, gathered all the money in the center of the table, laughing somewhat maniacally as he did so.

A huge boy, both horizontally _and_ vertically, said, "Yeah, no fair! I want a rematch!"

"Sorry guys," said Toph. "You get what you get!"

A tall, muscular boy with shaggy hair and a single piece of straw shooting from his mouth, threw down his cards. "That's it! I'm never playing cards with _you_ again, Toph. You're blind and I _still_ lose!"

"Like I said, you get what you get. Now suck it up, Haystack, and deal the cards!"

The shaggy haired boy, grumbling, took up all the cards and handed them to a somewhat gangly boy in a large hat. The boy in the hat began to shuffle the cards as Jet turned in his seat to look at Katara.

"Hey Katara," he said. "Looking as beautiful as ever, I see. Y'know, you should come visit down here more often."

"Whatever, Jet," said Katara, scowling. "It's not gonna happen!"

"Aw, Katara," said Jet in fake sadness. He put his hand over his heart. "You wound me!"

"Oh, cry me a river, Jet. That way, I can drown you in it."

"Hey, hey, no need to get violent!" Jet turned to the boy in the hat. "Cards ready yet, Longshot?"

Longshot nodded, and started dealing. While doing so, Jet seemed to finally notice the avatar. "Kay, who's your friend? New boyfriend? Do I have to beat him up?"

Aang blushed a bit at being called Katara's boyfriend. Why did he keep reacting like that, anyways?

Katara glared at Jet. "I told you, do _not _call me 'Kay'! And no, he's not my boyfriend, you will _not_ beat him up, and his name is Aang. He's joining us."

"Woah," said Toph. "Aang? As in _Avatar_ Aang? Why the heck is he here with _us?"_

"To help us kill Ozai," said Katara simply.

Everyone was quiet for a minute. "Sweet!" said Toph, breaking the silence.

"Aang, this is Toph," said Katara, motioning to the boy he had already concluded as Toph. "He's a blind earthbender and sees things through vibrations in the ground.

"That's Longshot." She gestured to the tall boy in the hat. "He doesn't talk much. And instead of using swords and stuff, he uses a bow and arrow.

"That over there is the Duke." She pointed to the short boy. "He's the cabin boy on the ship.

"That's Pipsqueak," nodding towards the gigantic boy. Aang was a tad confused at the name, but didn't say anything.

Katara sighed. "And this is Jet," she grumbled.

"C'mon Katara, don't be like that," said Jet charismatically. "Don't you remember that moonlight walk we had? Just the two of us, strolling…"

"When'd that happen, in your dreams?" asked Katara. "What could possibly possess you to make something like that up?"

Katara walked away, grabbing Aang's arm as she went, but even then still heard Jet's yell of, "Doesn't matter! It was real to me!"

Katara slammed the door on her way out. "I can't believe that jerk," she mumbled. "Stupid, idiotic Jet! Who does he think he is?"

Aang stood there awkwardly. What was he supposed to do? Comfort her, or something?

"Um, it's okay," he said, patting her shoulder. "I mean, it's not like he's gonna get away with anything with your brother around."

Aang felt like slapping himself. How would that possibly help at all?! But to his surprise, Katara laughed and said, "Yeah, probably!"

Aang smiled. He said something right! …But why did he care what he said to Katara anyway?

His thoughts were interrupted by Katara saying, "You'll be sleeping in there with them." Aang mentally gagged, remembering the awful stench in the room. "Oh, and if you ever need me, I'm right across the hall.

"If you'll excuse me, though," she continued, "I have to go help Sokka with those maps. We're trying to track Ozai, and it's not exactly easy. Feel free to do whatever you want, okay?"

Aang nodded. "Thank you for the tour. I enjoyed it."

Katara grinned. "No problem, Aang!" And with that, she walked into he brother's cabin.

Aang sighed, a soft smiled evident on his face. With her around, maybe being on a pirate ship wouldn't be so bad.

A/N: Phew! Finished! Okay, so a couple of notes…

No Smellerbee. I originally had her there, but I wanted Katara to be the only girl on the ship. It helped with a plot point in the story, so she's not there! In her place, though, are the Duke and Pipsqueak who originally weren't there at all.

Teo's not paralyzed… yet. :O

Yeah, you probably noticed that Toph is a guy. There's a reason for that, okay? You'll find out in later chapters!

Toph is able to see the cards because they have bumps in them to make numbers and stuff (like Braille, you know?)

For all you Zuko fans, he's gonna come into the story eventually. I got him all planned out, 'kay?

Yeah, so… yeah! I'm really excited about this story, actually. It's probably the first story in which I have lots of plot points and stuff PLANNED! So I know what's going on and I'm not just improvising like I usually do with my stories! YAY! So I have lots of kewl ideas for this story, and I can't WAIT to type them up!

REVIEW OR OZAI WILL MAKE OUT WITH YOU, WHETHER YOU'RE A GIRL OR NOT!!

Ozai: -supposed to be seductive but not working- Who wants some sugar? -puckers lips-

Woah… I'm scared, and I'm not the one being threatened here…

Tangy :D


	3. Dinner News

A/N: OOOOHHHHMMMMYYYYAAARRRRRRRRROOOOWWWW

A/N: OOOOHHHHMMMMYYYYAAARRRRRRRRROOOOWWWW!! O.O Band… marching… training… EVIL! Yeah, I was training for marching band which I've never done before… NOT fun! I mean, we were out in 90 degree weather for 4 hours!! WHO would think that was fun?! Yeah, not me! I'm pretty sure I almost passed out…

'kay, I wanted to update something before I start school. I haven't been updating lately because I've been working on my massive book project and band training for 2 weeks… figured I'd need to update so nobody thought I was dead. Oh, and before I forget…

STOP IT!! I get it! Nobody is especially happy that Toph is a guy, okay?! I've heard it! But believe me when I say that I have a good reason and you will all learn about it soon!! I can't believe that y'all haven't guessed it yet… I thought it painfully obvious, but I guess not…

Disclaimer: Ugh. Too tired to write funny disclaimer…

Sokka: Ugh. Too tired to make fun of Tangy…

Aang: Hey everyone! Isn't it just a beautiful, happy day?! I can't wait to get started! It's a new day, new things! I'm so happy and awake and –

Sokka: -pounds Aang with club-

Aang: -lying on ground- Ow… well, at least Tangy… doesn't own Avatar or anything… ooh, my head…

Perfectly Piratical

"So, you're telling us that you've _never_ played poker before?"

Aang nodded, a bit embarrassed at this statement. A few days ago, poker seemed just a silly, wasteful game. Compared to these people, though, there was something to be said for the card game.

"Grab a seat, Twinkle Toes, and we'll see what you're made of," Toph smirked.

"What is Twinkle Toes supposed to mean?" Aang grumbled, feeling insulted.

"Relax, Avatar," Jet said, waving his hand distractedly while examining his cards. "Toph has a nickname for every frickin' person on the planet. It's not a big deal. You get used to it."

"Right…" Aang sighed. "So, uh, what do I do?" He looked at the cards in his hand, confused at just what the capital A meant.

"Ah, don't worry," Jet said.

"Yeah," said Toph. "We'll whip you into a card shark-whale soon enough."

oOoOo

"You _won?!_"

Aang looked, confused, at the cards he had just laid on the table.

"What's so great about all those people on the cards?"

Toph smacked his head. "You even beat me! ME!"

The Duke, Jet, and Pipsqueak all grumbled and slammed their cards on the table. Longshot gently laid them on the oak, not saying a word.

"Beaten by an amateur," Jet sighed, putting his head in his hands. "What is happening to me? My world is crumbling before my very eyes!"

"Stop being a drama queen and suck it up!" Toph shouted at him. "Please, anyone could have beaten you three. Longshot… maybe, but I don't know _what_ this kid did to beat me, of all people."

He turned to face Aang, an evil glint in his milky green eyes. "But it won't happen again. Got it, Twinkle Toes?"

Aang gulped. "Crystal clear, Toph."

The door flew open and in walked Katara. "C'mon, you, dinner!" She looked at the display before her. "You taught Aang to play poker?"

"Yeah, and he beat us," said the Duke simply. Jet glared and smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow! What'd I do?"

Katara laughed. "Oh, nothing to be embarrassed about. Except that you got your butt whooped by someone who's never touched a deck of cards in his life!"

Jet began banging his head on the table repeatedly.

"Let's just grab some food," Toph grumbled.

oOoOo

"Alright everyone," Sokka said as Iroh passed out plates of food. "Let's get down to business."

A plate of food was placed in front of Aang. It looked rather good for food made out here in the middle of the sea, so he took a bite, larger than he normally would have. He was surprised to find that the food sent his taste buds soaring, and he quickly took another bite, savoring the taste.

"As you all know by now, Avatar Aang is here with us on the ship to help us find and kill Ozai."

Aang shuddered at the word 'kill'.

"Now, as of about… how long ago was it, sis?"

"7 minutes," Katara sighed.

"Yeah, 7 minutes ago, we finally figured out the general location of Ozai!" Sokka threw his hands up into the air excitedly.

Everyone was silent.

"…Isn't this where you all cheer and clap and stuff?" Sokka asked, bringing his arms slowly down in confusion.

"Actually, we're waiting for you to go on," said Teo.

"…Right. Well, now that we have his general location, all we need is a plan. Any suggestions?"

"We could-"

But no one would ever learn of Haru's plan, because at that moment, there was a cawing sound coming from above.

All turned their heads upward in confusion. At last, they spotted the messenger hawk, circling in the sky. It swooped down and landed on the top of Sokka's head.

"Get it off! Get it off, now!" Sokka yelled, waving his arms frantically. Katara giggled as she took the note from the bird and sent it off again.

"Ow!" Sokka exclaimed, for the hawk had pulled a mighty few hairs out of the top of his head as it had flown off.

His cry was ignored, though, as Katara read through the letter, her expression dropping.

Aang saw this and felt a sadness in him. And once again, confusion struck him. Just why did she do that to him? He felt what she felt, and it was so… odd. He had never felt anything like it, so why was it suddenly happening now?

"What's wrong?" he asked the girl, desperate for an answer.

"An information report from an anonymous ship. It's just been reported that Ozai has defeated and killed the ship of Captain Long Feng."

"Long Feng?" asked Haru. "But we just barely got away from them! How in the world are we going to stop Ozai?"

"Well, being negative about it isn't going to solve anything," said Katara, rolling up the parchment. "But I have to agree, this will be extremely difficult."

"You're right," said Sokka. The captain began to pace back and forth. "What to do, what to do…"

"We could recruit some new people," said the Duke helpfully.

"We only have enough room for maybe one more person on this ship," said Jet. "How would we find one awesome fighter who would side with pirates out of the many people on the face of the earth?"

"Well," said Iroh, startling everyone, for the old man had been quiet the whole time. "My nephew is a strong fighter. He's a firebender, such as myself, and he is also talented with broad swords. He should be 20 years of age by now. When I was a young pirate, he would always beg to come with me. He may still be interested."

"Sounds good," said Sokka, rubbing his chin in thought. "But how do we know he's good enough to beat Ozai?"

"Oh, I would think he would be," Iroh smiled gently, "seeing as Ozai is his father."

Pipsqueak spit out the water he had been drinking in surprise. Teo fell out of his seat. The others had mouths agape with shock. Sokka had been forced to sit down.

"But… but, he's your nephew… a-and he's his dad, so that means-"

"You're Ozai's brother?!" Aang shouted in shock.

"Well, that is what our parents told us," Iroh chuckled. "But as you can see, we were never close. We always had different views."

Everyone was quiet. The news had to sink in before anyone could say anything. At last, Toph spoke.

"I say we give that kid a chance."

"Agreed," everyone but Sokka said simultaneously.

The captain sat there, rubbing his chin once again. Everyone waited for his answer, the suspense in the air clearly present.

"Alright," said Sokka. "We can see if he wants to come. Spirits know we could use the help."

"Okay, why is everyone so pessimistic all of a sudden?" Katara asked out loud.

"What's his name?" Sokka asked Iroh. "Where does he live?"

"His name is Zuko," Iroh told them all.

"That sounds like a preppy name," Jet said.

"What, and Jet doesn't?" Katara shot back.

Toph, relishing the moments in which he could mock Jet, said, "Alright, Katara!"

Teo, joining in, added, "Speak the truth!" Both high-fived the waterbender, Katara laughing at their joke while Jet grumbled about it.

Iroh smiled. "Zuko lives in the Fire Nation with his mother, Ursa. She's much kinder than my brother, though, I can assure you. Although…"

Sokka groaned. "There's always one of those! A 'but' or an 'although'… this is never gonna be easy, is it? So what, is this guy afraid of boats? Is his mother some overprotective, controlling woman? Hatred of fish?"

"No," Iroh laughed. "His mother is a noble. It will be rather difficult to talk to him."

Sokka groaned again, falling backwards in frustration.

"Yeah," sighed Haru. "I would think it'd be hard for pirates to talk to high-class people without getting _arrested."_

"So what are we going to do?" asked Pipsqueak.

"Well, we just have to think of a plan," said Aang.

"So," said Jet. "Any suggestions for getting a noble to talk to us lowly pirates without drawing attention to ourselves, getting us arrested, or possibly getting executed?"

Silence.

"…Yeah, we'll work on that."

oOoOo

Aang followed the crew down the hall to the cabins. Dinner had been a long one, and all of them were exhausted.

As they passed by Katara's door, she stopped. "Good night, boys," she said.

"Night," they all replied.

"See you in my dreams," Jet charmed.

"That's the only place you will," said Katara.

"You'll fall for me, Kay," said Jet. "Just watch."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Right."

The boys turned to walk away. Katara caught Aang's arm before he could go anywhere, though. "Hey," she said.

He turned to look at her.

"It was really nice meeting you, Aang."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. There was that funny feeling again.

"It was nice meeting you, too."

Katara smiled again, and hugged him for the second time that day. The funny little feeling grew.

She released the avatar, and said, "Good night." She stepped into her room, and silently shut the door.

"Looks like someone's got the hots for Sugar Queen," Toph laughed.

Aang spun around quickly. Never had he realized that all the crew had been right there.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Aang said as fast as he could.

Jet glared. Competition was never something he was fond of.

"Right," laughed Teo. "You don't know what we're talking about and Toph is gentle and sweet."

"Nice analogy," Haru commented.

"C'mon, guys!" The Duke whined. "I'm tired. Can't we go to bed?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Toph said. "Let's go."

oOoOo

Aang was jolted awake. A sudden pain had erupted in his arm. What had been the cause?

He looked around the room. Toph was snoring loudly in his bed. Pipsqueak was taking up the entirety of his bed. The Duke was next to him, making a whinnying type of noise. Teo was muttering something about peanuts in his sleep. Haru was sleeping quietly and soundly.

And that was when Aang noticed that Jet was towering above him.

"So. What's up with you and Katara?"

Aang raised his brows in surprise. "Oh, err, nothing I suppose."

"There better not be," said Jet. "I don't care if you're the avatar or not! I will beat you to death, I will strangle you with my bare hands if you come anywhere near her. You got me?"

Aang stared in shock. What exactly did Jet think was going on? That Katara was in love with Aang? That he was in love with her?

…Was he?

"Oh please, Haystack," the two heard. They looked at the now-awake form of Toph. "The two of you need to shut up and go to bed. I need sleep!" He flopped down on his back before saying, "Like she would go for either of you anyway."

Jet growled and sulked back to his hammock. Aang slumped back onto his pillow as well, thinking about what had just occurred.

Was it really true that it was impossible for Katara to love him?

A/N: Okay, I was kind of bored with this chapter… okay, so I was really bored with this chapter. But it was necessary! So… yeah, the next one will be MUCH more interesting! Sorry to those of you who are Sokka's Diary fans, I just haven't had time to update! Or type at all! I'll try to get that up.

That little bit where Katara is all, "Why is everyone so pessimistic?" That's my point of view. I think that being negative about something isn't gonna get you anywhere. So if we're playing a sport or something and my team is all, "We are SO gonna lose," I'll say, "Well, that's not being very positive about it! Be positive!"

…yeah… I'm really tired. :P Once again, marching band training is hard. Yesterday was the first day I got to sleep in in 2 WEEKS. But then I had to go to my step uncle's b-day party, so today is my lazy day. :D And so, I decided to update. I actually wrote this pretty quickly… I did it in, like, 4 or 5 hours when it usually takes me from morning 'til bedtime.

…odd.

REVIEW! OR ELSE… You know, instead, I'm gonna reward y'all if you review, so…

**REVIEW! IF YOU DO, YOU CAN GET A SOKKA PLUSHY! IT COMES WITH A PLATE OF APPA SHAPED SUGAR COOKIES, AND IT COMES WITH OVER 17 ACTION PHRASES, INCLUDING…**

**-Where's the meat?**

**-Don't you just love sarcasm?**

**-AIRBENDING SLICE!**

**-I miss Fufucuddlypoops…**

**-You wish you were as cool as me!**

**And…**

-Tangy is da bomb!

SO, REVIEW NOW, AND GET YOUR SOKKA PLUSH TODAY!!

Tangy


	4. Corsets

A/N: Yay! I finally found time to type something up! :D Okay, this chapter I'm really hoping is fun to write. I'll see you at the end of the chapter and let you know! Race ya there!!

Disclaimer: Uh, yeah, me no own TV show.

Sokka: Why you talk funny?

Me: Why you blubber head?

Sokka: -shrugs- Me no know!

"Land ahoy!"

Heads turned to the edge of the ship at Teo's shouting. Yes, there was indeed land forming before their very eyes. A mountainous volcano began to come into view as well. This was definitely the Fire Nation.

Aang sighed. It was time to do work again. It had been a very enjoyable week and a half with nothing to do but lie about on board, not to mention he got to spend a lot quality time with the beautiful waterbender. He had also played game after game of poker with the guys, which he had quite honestly become somewhat attached to. Though, truth be told, he hadn't won but the one time, his first time playing. He could swear that Toph was somehow cheating…

But, they did work every night at dinner for but a few minutes when they tried to come up with a plan to talk to the highly ranked nephew of Iroh. Many things had come up, but none could ever hope to be fulfilled.

For example, Sokka's plan involving tar, bootstraps, and feathers off a messenger hawk would very doubtfully be successful.

"Well," said Sokka, "Now that we're finally here, I guess we should finally come up with a plan once and for all."

Everyone stared at the captain.

"…Well? Any suggestions?"

"None really come to mind," Katara said, rolling her eyes.

"Look, we haven't come up with something in almost two weeks," Haru said. "What makes you think we can come up with one now?"

"Yeah," Jet agreed. "What do you think'll happen? Something will just come flying by, giving us the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the place and talk to this Zuko kid without anything happening to us?"

It was at this moment that a messenger hawk was heard from above, dropping a note down below to the empty hands of Katara. With this being done, the bird flew off in the same direction it came.

"Well, what's it say?" Toph asked, annoyed that the letter hadn't even yet been open.

Sighing, Katara read the message aloud to the waiting ears of the crew.

"_To the ships of the sea… You are invited to a banquet held by the noble Ursa in honor of the ending of pirates everywhere. Tonight and no later, anyone who wishes to attend may do so."_

"Oh, the irony," Jet muttered.

"It's a little reckless – and stupid – to be sending messenger hawks inviting random people in boats to a fancy banquet, isn't it?" asked Toph.

"Well, I guess they didn't count on pirates roaming into their land either," Aang suggested.

"I know I didn't," Teo said, climbing down from his post.

"But this is perfect!" Sokka exclaimed, doing an odd little dance as he did so. Grabbing the letter, he shouted, "One of us can go to the Fire Nation in disguise to this party! They talk to Zuko who's gotta be there because, well, it's his mom's party after all, he comes with us, and BAM! We're good to go!"

"That's a good plan…" the Duke muttered to himself.

"But who would go?" Haru asked.

"Well, I was thinking Katara," said Sokka as said person's eyes bugged.

"Why me?!" she yelled.

"Well, you know…" Sokka said, waving his hand impatiently. "You're the only girl here and all. More graceful, plus Zuko's a guy and all."

"Sokka!!"

"What? It's true! Just put a move on him or something and it's safe to say that he's with us!"

Aang felt his face go hot as Sokka spoke. Word after word, his face radiated with more and more heat. What could be happening to him? What could Sokka's words mean to him that apparently meant nothing to the others?

Katara clenched her fists, ready to yell, but suddenly relaxed herself. A smirk formed. "I can't. I couldn't possibly go dressed like this, could I?"

It was at this moment that Iroh came up from below, hearing Katara's previous statement.

"If you are looking for something suitable to wear when we reach land," he said, "I have many dresses and things in a chest somewhere from my past years. You are welcome to them."

Sokka smirked as Katara's own faded into a scowl. She grumbled as she walked down below the deck.

"Don't come back until you're in one of those dress!" Sokka shouted after her as Toph laughed loudly.

"You should go too, Aang," Sokka said, turning to the young avatar. "After all, you're the only one here with experience in these kinds of things. Of course, you'd have to disguise yourself a little…"

Aang grinned for more reasons unknown to him, except for knowing that he would get to spend more time with Katara. He nodded his head a little more eagerly than he should have, he supposed, for Sokka glared at him before walking to his cabin, most likely to work on his Ozai charts.

"Man, this is gonna be sweet!" Jet said excitedly. "Seeing Katara look like that… once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Shut up, Jet," Toph, Aang, Haru, and Teo said simultaneously. Longshot might have said so too, but who would ever know?

oOoOo

"SOKKA!"

Katara's shout from below rang loud and true. The door to the captain's cabin was flung wide open as Sokka ran out, looking positively terrified.

"How much you wanna bet this has something to do with hormones?" he whispered hurriedly to Aang, the person nearest his cabin. Running down to the sound of Katara's voice, he shouted, "FRICKIN' HORMONES!!"

A door was heard being slammed open and shut, but the shouting match was still heard clearly by the crew on the deck.

"Sokka, what the hell is this?!"

"It's a corset! What'd you think it was?"

"I don't know! I guess that's why I asked you, meathead! Now what's this thing do?"

"It makes you look thinner!"

"Well, how do I put this thing on?"

"Okay, just… okay, put your… yeah, that's good. Right there, and…"

"It doesn't fit very well. I don't feel thinner either."

"That's because you have to tighten it."

"Well, help me out!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh… ready?"

"Why do you say that – Spirits, what are you trying to do, kill me?! STOP SQUEEZING!!"

"I can't! It's not even close to being where it should be!"

"STOP! STOP IT!"

"Tighter! Tighter!!"

"NO, DON'T! DON'T DO IT! STOP!"

"Hold on…!"

"PLEASE! I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Almost there, Katara, almost!"

"OH MY–"

"THERE! DONE!"

There was silence for a few moments as the awe struck crew waited for a response.

"Katara…?"

"…I don't… I don't think I can… breath…"

oOoOo

Aang turned his head along with the rest of the crew.

Katara had finally come out from her room.

The waterbender was dressed in an elegant, soft pink dress with an elaborate design sewed on. It flowed as she walked, but Aang could just see the very tall heels she wore beneath. Her beautiful chocolate hair was hidden beneath a long blonde wig, curls flowing beautifully around her face.

And though she was lovely, it was not Katara. Oh, but if the wig was off…

"Kay…" Jet dragged the hated nickname. "I never knew you had such nice–"

"Alright, now that Katara's ready," Sokka interrupted hurriedly, "we can finally get off this ship!"

Aang, with his sandy brown-haired wig atop his head, walked over to the struggling Katara.

"Are you okay?"

"Well," she said, breathing heavily, "My feet hurt, I've lost my ability to walk properly, and I'm pretty sure my lungs have just imploded."

Aang let out a low laugh. "C'mon," he said. "It'll be fine. And it'll get you away from Jet, won't it?"

"You're right," Katara laughed. "Let's hurry up, then!"

oOoOo

"So this is what a banquet looks like…" Katara sighed.

"It's not as exciting as it looks," Aang said.

"Do you see Zuko anywhere?"

"Iroh said he had some kind of scar, right?"

"Yeah, he said it wouldn't be too hard to notice."

Aang suddenly smiled. He was at a ball with Katara, no older brother, no idiot perv… He bowed deeply, offering his hand to her.

"Shall we?"

Katara turned a shade of red. "Aang, I… I'm not sure I can dance."

Aang stood up from his bow. "C'mon, it's not so hard. Just take my hand, follow me lead…"

Katara smiled and started forward, tripping over her heels as she was doing so. Aang instantly reacted and rushed to catch her. She fell into his arms, and Aang found that she was as light as a feather. He stared at the top of her head, wondering what it would feel like to run his fingers through it…

He jerked from his reverie and stood Katara upright. "…and don't trip over your shoes."

Katara laughed that cute little laugh of hers. Aang found himself going red again. Just what was the matter with him?

Katara took the Avatar's hand as he led her to the floor of the room. The music played softly, engulfing them in a rather romantic song. Aang put one hand on her waist and kept the other tightly in his grasp. His arms felt oddly comfortably in this position that had felt so awkward with other women before. They began to gracefully spin and sway. Katara looked down at their feet, biting her lip and taking careful notes as to where her feet went and when.

Aang was surprised. For someone who didn't know how to dance, the waterbender was doing fantastic.

"It looks less suspicious if you look up from the floor," Aang whispered into Katara's ear.

Katara immediately looked up. "Sorry," she muttered. "I've… never really done this kind of thing before… Is it obvious?"

"Not really, no," Aang replied. "In fact, you're a wonderful dancer. You're just as good as any of these high-and-mighties."

"Aren't you one of those high-and-mighties?"

Aang looked to the side. "Well… yes, but I'm… er-"

"Relax, I understand," Katara giggled.

"Are you _absolutely _sure you've never danced before?" Aang questioned, a joking smile on his face.

"Well," Katara grinned back, "I've never danced if you don't count the time I danced on the moon with the Earth King."

"Of course!" Aang laughed. "And what exactly did you and the Earth King do after this amazing dance?"

"Let's see," Katara pretended to be deep in thought. "We went back to his palace together, we sat on the couch in his sitting room, and we talked about… you."

Aang was immediately very attentive. …Him? Why would she say _him?!_

"And just what did you… say about me?"

"Well, I told him-"

"I don't suppose you'd mind if I cut in?"

Katara and Aang both stopped dancing and turned to look at the man whose low voice had addressed them. He looked only just older than the airbender, and his black hair was a shaggy mess. He stood erect and proud, and had only the faintest of smiles on his face. But the most obvious of his features was the deep red and pink scar on the side of his face.

Aang looked from Katara to the man who he assumed was Zuko. For some reason, he had no wanting to remove his hand from Katara's waist. It felt right like this. This was…

Aang realized he had said nothing in quite some time. Zuko looked at Aang with a raised brow. Katara was giving him a questionable look.

"Oh, of – of course," Aang said, regretfully stepping back.

Zuko nodded towards him and swept Katara away in dance.

Aang saw Katara mouth over the scarred man's shoulder, "It's him!" He nodded his acknowledgment.

Aang watched on in an odd, odd depression. He felt a sort of… rage inside of him. Watching Katara dance with another man nearly killed him inside.

But _why?!?!_

This was too much. Too, too much! What in the Spirits name was happening to him? He meets a few pirates and he immediately changes. He wasn't sure what they had done to him or how or why every time he looked at Katara, he felt this amazing tingling sensation in his heart as it fluttered a thousand beats per second, why her beautiful eyes and her gentle voice made him turn red on the spot. And he didn't know why it made him incredibly furious to watch Zuko spin the waterbender around when he himself could be doing the same thing.

He saw them exchange words with each other and he saw Katara laugh. She had just been laughing with Aang… why couldn't she be laughing with him again?

He slumped into a chair. Aang just fell… awful. Plain awful.

The next thing he knew, Katara and Zuko were next to him.

"Aang," Katara said, "this is Zuko. Zuko, this is Aang."

Zuko nodded. "It's an honor," he said.

Aang stood up a little faster than usual. "Great, so should we be going then? Yes, yes, let's be on our way! Come on, Katara, Sokka will be waiting." Aang took Katara's hand in his and began to walk as fast as he possibly could towards the exit. "You know how impatient he is. Who knows what he's thinking right now? I mean, he's probably hyperventilating in his cabin right now, and crying or something. I think he's-"

"Aang!" Katara stopped trying to keep even with Aang's speed. She tugged on his hand. "What's the rush? Relax. If Sokka's what you're worried about, then I can handle him. Just… keep calm?"

Aang glanced down at their still intertwined hands. He looked back up at Katara. He just stared for a moment. "Okay."

"All right, then," she said. Katara smiled and squeezed his hand in hers. She turned around. "Are you coming, Zuko?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm right behind you," he answered, hurrying to catch up, looking behind him as he walked.

And together, the three of them strolled out of the party, two of them holding hands the whole way.

A/N: Yay! I finished! ...I'm hungry… Y'know, I found this in my documents folder, only halfway done! So I just finished it up real quick. Not too sure if I like it or not…

**REVIEW!! OR ELSE SANTA WILL ONLY GIVE YOU CHEESE FOR CHRISTMAS!!**

**Sokka: Cheese? Are you serious?**

**Me: Do YOU want cheese for Christmas?**

**Sokka: …no…**

Tangy :D


End file.
